It was an ordinary working day. I woke up, got ready for the office, and soon made my way to the bus stand. While walking to the bus stand, my mind, as usual, often drifts to the question of whether I had locked my door properly or not. Today also, the episode of locking the door was no different. Once I had turned the keys and ensured that the lock had snuggled tightly and comfortably in its hole and the door stood punctually in a lover's embrace with its frame literally, I used all the strength I possessed and pulled the lock with all my might. When the lock didn't break or, thankfully, the door didn't come out of its hinges, I became sure that there wasn't any chance of robbery, burglary or theft. After two or three tugs in the same procedure repeatedly, I became sure that no strangers would get a chance to take up residence in my house today. With all these thoughts getting entangled in my brain along with another million ruminations dancing enthusiastically through my neurons, I managed to reach the bus stand.
Once my feet came to a halt on the concrete slabs of the bus stand, I started making a frantic search with the rapid movement of the eyeballs in a frenzy state of excitement for my approaching saviour, which is of course the bus. The sight of the windscreen of the bus is itself a daily blessing, as the daily ritual of getting a tanned skin by waiting for ten to fifteen minutes every day has raised my melatonin levels, giving a splendid dark hue. The sarcastic part is that the abundance of Vitamin D available for free at the bus stand makes you perspire so much, and no one wants to go to the office with sweat and grime and with a look like a hard-working Olympic champion. Finally, the saviour, which is the bus, arrives, making me get ready to proceed with a working day ahead.
When the bus honks and stops right in the centre of the bus stand, a big hullabaloo makes its way for a dramatic commencement. A deathly stare between two people who get to accidentally meet on the bus stairs from opposite sides, a push suddenly here or a high shrill from somewhere there- these are the scenes that occur religiously in a short time whenever we decide to hop on a bus. After getting inside the bus, the frantic search with the crazy movement of the eyeballs switches on again to see whether lady luck has favoured us with an empty seat so we can settle comfortably there, sink into the cushions even though it is dirty, spread our legs comfortably and blissfully reach our destination, which is the office.
It seems that destiny had been kind to me that day, as my eyes were greeted with a very rare yet highly welcoming and pleasant sight of an empty seat on the bus, which seems straight out of a dream nowadays. So, to reach the dream,m which seems very likely to be missed if I don't break into a run, I let my feet travel faster than light, literally- as this is how my brain seems to make it believable to me- and finally got to accomplish a very difficult mission, which is to bag the much desired or highly coveted bus seat. My rapidly beating heart slowed down, causing me to heave a sigh of relief, and my mouth unconsciously curved a little upward as my brain made me congratulate myself for this achievement.
Soon, like a queen, I was busy enjoying the sights and sounds of Guwahati. A few bus stops later, two middle-aged women hopped into the bus with their handbags. The duo were both draped in fancy sarees, which made it seem to others as if they were going to attend some sort of formal, glittery function at their workplace. Just like everyone else, the ladies also started their dramatic, frantic search for a bus seat. After a few moments, the face of one of them took a one hundred eighty-degree change in facial expression in the blink of an eye. She consulted the other lady standing beside her, talking to her by giving a weird, dangerous side-eye expression and without using any words. The other lady seemed to fully understand what her peer was saying, and together they marched with all their might towards a row where two men who were senior citizens were sitting. The ladies proudly took up the spot near them. One of the ladies, in a haughty tone, said, "Hello, Misters! Please get up from here. Can't you see that these are ladies' seats? Look above. The sticker clearly says that these are ladies' seats." Hearing their unpleasant words, one of the elderly gentlemen silently proceeded to get up with the help of his walking stick, while the other supported him in getting up to his feet. When they were on the verge of getting up, one young boy said to the women, "Ma'am, my uncles are senior citizens. Please let them sit as we have to travel a long distance." The elderly gentleman with the walking stick, however, asked the boy to settle the matter with a simple raise of his hand, and soon he and his friend got up from their seats. Luckily, the duo got two seats at the very front of the bus, and those were reserved for senior citizens only.
After the dramatic fiasco got over and the ladies settled happily in their seats, they began to chat about anything and everything under the sun. Soon a girl, who appeared to be in her late teens or early twenties, hopped into the bus wearing a sleeveless crop top and denim shorts. The ladies, giving a once-over of the girl from head to toe, soon began to gossip about her attire amongst themselves. Seeing their facial expressions, it can be understood that they were speaking ill of her.
Soon, a lady with a six-month-old boy hopped on to the bus, and as there was no empty seat, she managed to support her boy on one hand while gripping the handhold with the other. As the bus started moving, her discomfort of having to balance herself and her little son became noticeable to all. When no one got up from their seat, the girl in the crop top and shorts willingly got up and said," Sister please come and sit here." The lady, who was thankful to her, expressed gratitude towards the girl with a slight bow of the head, and took the seat.
Her humble conduct surprised each and every passenger of the bus, including the gossiping ladies who couldn't stop themselves from raising their eyebrows high in admiration. This ordinary bus ride turned out to be an impactful journey for me, which taught me that clothing can never say anything about your overall personality, but your actions definitely do.